


First Flutters

by allcatsareblackinthedark



Series: Mail Ordered Family [3]
Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Dwobbits, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-17
Updated: 2016-05-17
Packaged: 2018-06-09 01:59:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6884668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allcatsareblackinthedark/pseuds/allcatsareblackinthedark
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As the work on the store progresses onwards, Bilbo finds that Bofur's protective nature has become a little more overbearing as time goes on.</p><p>When Bilbo confronts Bofur on his protectiveness, Bilbo finds that there's still times that you need to comfort dwarves, even if they seem made of stone.</p>
            </blockquote>





	First Flutters

It was completely ridiculous for Bofur to expect her to sit about and not help with the store. To be fair, they were indeed in construction at the time, which Bilbo didn’t really know a lick about, but surely she could assist in other ways.

Since Cassia revealed her pregnancy, Bilbo has been nearly housebound. Bofur was hesitant to let her get things off of high shelves, much less wield a hammer in the workplace. It was all ridiculous, and she did just fine when she was pregnant with Frodo.

Sometimes she allowed Bofur to do his fretting and simply watched the construction take place, and sometimes she brought the workers lemonade and cookies. It was sacrilege to even think about the fact that the dwarrow never had lemonade before. 

The store was coming together nicely. It had been a ceramics shop, sold by a Man who had gotten too old to throw pottery. It had been one of the few Man owned shops in Erebor, so it is was close to the entrance from Dale, which Bilbo thought was a prime location.

It had a few rooms in the back, one of which would be Bofur’s workshop. There was also a decent sized space that had a small kitchen. They planned to use this for when Bilbo and Frodo were assisting in the shop, so they could simply make something for lunch there. It also gave Bilbo a chance to rest and catch her breath if she got winded, or a place to lay Frodo down for naps.

It was coming together nicely. They were working on mostly repairs and painting the front of the store and Bofur was putting wooden sidings in place and working on carving the front counter. At one point, Bilbo came down and did some more delicate painting on the storefront. Bofur saw her and came out.

“Bilbo! What are you doing?” Bofur said, almost panicked.

“Just painting.” Bilbo said with a smile. “Isn’t this yellow so pretty?”

“You shouldn’t be painting.” Bofur said sternly, almost out of character, if Bilbo hadn’t gotten used to it by now.

“Sure I can.” Bilbo countered. “I’m on the outside; the air is clear out here and there aren’t any fumes.”

“You still shouldn’t do it.” Her husband insisted.

“Why is this such a problem, Bofur?” Bilbo said, laying down her paintbrush. “You never had a problem with Cassia! In fact, you encouraged her to move around, and she had three babies!”

“Because she wasn’t you!” Bofur yelled back. “You’re…” He stopped and looked around. He held out a hand and Bilbo gently took it. Bofur led them past the few workers inside and into the backroom.

“You’re...you’re too important. You and the baby both.” Bofur said. “Cassia was a whole different mine shaft.” Bofur sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “I know that you’ve done this before, but I haven’t, not in the same way.”

“I know what I’m doing, dear.” Bilbo said gently.

“I know.” Bofur admitted. “I just...I don’t want to put you in any situations that you might be hurt in.”

“I can handle it.” Bilbo returned. “But I can try to lay off, at least a bit.”

“Dwarven children are so rare, and to have my own… I have Frodo, of course, but I wasn’t there when he was born. And then my own child as well?” Bofur shook his head and sat down on the couch Cassia had given them to put in the backroom. “I’m just not sure what it is I’m supposed to do.” Bilbo sat next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder. She grasped one of his broad, calloused hands and moved it to rest on her swelling abdomen. 

“No one is expecting you to know everything.” Bilbo murmured softly. Bofur eased slightly, his hand flutter light on her stomach. They sat in the relative quiet for a moment, with only the occasional sounds of hammers in the front of the store.

“You know…” Bilbo started. “If it’s a girl, I want naming rights.”

“What exactly did you have in mind?” Bofur asked, amused.

“Belladonna maybe. Mirabella? Donnamira? I’m sure any of my aunts would be pleased with the names.” Bilbo mused. “Maybe Cassia the Second?”

“Don’t inflate her ego any more.” Bofur laughed. “I want to name it if it turns out to be a boy then. That’s more likely anyways, with the dwarf part.”

“You’ll lose that wager.” Bilbo said. “My pregnancy feels rather different than from Frodo’s. It’s going to be a girl.”

“But it’s also not a pure hobbit babe either.” Bofur reminded her. “It should feel different regardless.” Bilbo just laughed.

“If you were ever pregnant, then maybe you would understand what I mean.” Bilbo said and Bofur just wrinkled his nose. “But speaking of names, did you decide? On one for the store?”

“In a way.” Bofur said. “I was thinking of a few. One stuck out a bit more, but I want to wait to tell you.”

Bilbo was annoyed with him for some time for that, as she disliked surprises. However, when Bofur showed her and Frodo the completed storefront, with tall wooden panelling outsides and delicate painting and carvings, and with ‘Bag End Woodwork: Custom Wood Crafts’ painted on the round, green sign, Bilbo nearly wept. Bilbo maintained it was simply hormones.

They had a grand opening where Bilbo served lemonade and cookies and Bofur showed anyone who came in his skill and the examples of woodwork that he had been stockpiling for this purpose.

Cassia and Bombur came by to wish them well and to take Frodo off their hands for the opening day. They bought both Ruby and Frodo little spinner tops for them to play with, and Bombur refused to take any discounted prices.

“I don't underpay for quality work.” He maintained.

Dori, Nori and Ori came in as well to give support and to look over what they had. Nori spoke with Bofur about getting a new loom for weaving while Ori browsed the carefully carved wooden pens with the metal nibs. They left with a commission in place for a standard loom and with a set of mahogany pens.

They have a generally steady stream of customers throughout the day, several of both Man and dwarrow. Thankfully, as the store had been owned by a Man, the ceilings were tall enough to accommodate all customers.

At the end of the day, Bofur had not only the loom ordered, but also a rocking chair, a chest, and another set of pens to make. There was also more toys to make to refill the shelves. The hopping rabbit toy happened to be their best seller that day.

Bilbo and Bofur came home rather exhausted, but content. Cassia brought Frodo home and Bilbo made pork roast with potatoes for supper. After eating, they were all lounging happily on the couch. Bofur took to singing a few low, quiet dwarf songs and Frodo would sing back what small segments of hobbit songs he remembered. Bofur sang a tune about bathing, a silly thing really:

“ _ Sing hey! for the bath at close of day _

_ That washes the weary mud away! _

_ A loon is he that will not sing: _

_ O! Water Hot is a noble thing! _

 

_ O! Sweet is the sound of falling rain. _

_ and the brook that leaps from hill to plain; _

_ but better than rain or rippling streams _

_ is Water Hot that smokes and steams. _

 

_ O! Water cold we may pour at need _

_ down a thirsty throat and be glad indeed; _

_ but better is Beer, if drink we lack, _

_ and Water Hot poured down the back. _

 

_ O! Water is fair that leaps on high _

_ in a fountain white beneath the sky; _

_ but never did fountain sound so sweet _

_ as splashing Hot Water with my feet!” _

 

Frodo countered with a segment of a song his mother wrote.

 

_ “I sit n’ think of all I’ve seen _

_ Of flowers and bugs and summer.” _

Frodo paused, then. “I don’t remember the rest.” He finally admitted. “Can you sing the rest mama?” Frodo asked, pleading with wide blue eyes from where he laid against her. Bilbo laughed and began to finish the song for him.

_ “I sit beside the fire and think _

_ Of all that I have seen, _

_ Of meadow-flowers and butterflies _

_ In summers that have been; _

 

_ Of yellow leaves and gossamer _

_ In Autumns that there were, _

_ With morning mist and silver sun _

_ And wind upon my hai-” _

 

Bilbo stopped abruptly. Bofur looked at her with a confused face but Bilbo only smiled widely and grab both Bofur’s hand and Frodo’s much smaller one and put it on her stomach.

“Sing again Bofur.” Bilbo urged. Bofur cleared his throat and started with the first thing he could think of. 

“There’s an inn, there’s a merry old inn, beneath an old grey hill-” As Bofur sang, he felt the slight fluttering beneath his hand. “And there they brew a beer so brown, that the Man in the Moon himself came down…”

“Man in the Moon, Man in the Moon.” Frodo repeated when Bofur left off, too astonished to continue. There were small kicks against Bofur’s hand. He knew that there was a babe in there, he had felt the swell of the stomach and experienced the morning sickness with Bilbo, but this was something more.

Bofur gently kissed Bilbo’s hair and listened to Frodo babbling his own songs to try and feel the flittering kicks at his own hand. If Bofur had several tears fall down off his cheeks, Bilbo did not hazard any mention.

“This is your big sister.” Bilbo said to Frodo softly.

“Brother.” Bofur corrected with an amused smile.

“Sister.” Frodo said with a cute little frown. “I want a baby sister.”

“All my hobbits are against me.” Bofur laughed before wrapping his arms around the two of them. “Oh the horrors.” He bemoaned dramatically. Bilbo lightly punched him in the arm and they both smiled widely.

Bofur couldn't help but think that this was an excellent start to their lives; it was their store, their son, their future child, and their future.

**Author's Note:**

> So the songs are all from Tolkien, and I thought it might be fun to include the songs. I loved the scene where Bofur just hauls himself up onto the table and belts out a drinking song.
> 
> So, here's a bit about them working on the store and some more revealings of feelings about the pregnancy. Dwarf babies are rare and I think it just makes all dwarf parents a little nuts, and it's so normal for Cassia and Bilbo that they don't always get it.
> 
> Again, I love all the comments and suggestions! You are always welcome to leave more!


End file.
